


Springbrooke

by skipper



Category: Jonas Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angst, Bullying, Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:07:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27663134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skipper/pseuds/skipper
Summary: Springbrooke is a small town, rich and filled with perfection.At the start of her senior year, Rosalina, an outsider with no desire to fit in, meets Joseph, a stranger with no desire to stand out. With him, she makes a pledge to survive one year, her final year at Springbrooke High, and she’s determined to make the best of it. She struggles through new relationships along with the old, all the while discovering the true meaning of love and friendships, in ways she never expected.To Rose, each day that passes is one day closer to breaking free and her chance to leave without looking back. Though she soon learns, in the end, it’s not simply leaving that matters, but what you take with you when you go.
Relationships: Joe Jonas/Original Female Character(s), Nick Jonas/Original Female Character(s)





	1. I

Rosalina James sat with her head leaned back against the wall, crackling the strawberry gum she was chewing while watching the football field. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the athletes running their plays and, of course, the cheerleaders perfecting their routines for the coming game. A big one, she’d heard. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter; it wasn’t as if she’d go. Instead, Rose watched from afar, as they wasted their lunch hour on a game that wouldn’t matter in a few months, let alone years, after they graduated.

If she leaned far enough forward, Rose’s eyes could find the next group sitting on the opposite lawn. They were the pretentious assholes who constantly pretended to study while they hid their joints from the lingering eyes around the corner. She could appear, as she always did, that she hated every one of them. However, at the end of the day, they had the ability to ignore everyone around them, whereas it was still a struggle for herself. The whispers and stares simply fell off the member’s shoulders, as though they actually didn’t matter. It was fascinating, in a sense, and made her curious how they were successful in their superhuman abilities.

Rose’s eyes continued to scan the wide area, the various groups and cliques guarding their own spots, as if someone would dare fight the originality of it all. Most groups were small, a gathering of friends, where no one had to face the world alone. Each person belonged to one or more of the generic factions, making up what essentially were known to be your typical high school. Her eyes shifted to her shoes for a moment, pushing against the grass from where she sat, her lunch forgotten in her bag despite the rumble in her stomach. Reaching a hand to her hair, she pushed some of the auburn strands behind her ear where they’d fallen from behind her shoulders. She considered once again about cutting it, but a loud cry tore herself from her thoughts, fearing she’d been caught in her spot. 

Startled, Rose looked up, but each group were whispering to each other, and she sighed, knowing already what they were discussing. In a small town like this, it was no surprise that a sudden intrusion would be news like this. All the students preparing for the sudden change coming. New students were arriving. While it wasn’t as uncommon as they made it seem, but now that she was on her own all the time, Rose could almost laugh at how the teenaged girls were thriving off the news that they were receiving not one, but two, new boys. Brothers, if she’d understood the rumors correctly. 

The school was not large; in fact, the school was downright small. The last family she remembered moving to the town was nearly two years prior, long before she’d become an outcast at the high school. However, todays were a bigger deal, at least in the high school setting. Even her mother had mentioned the new students, which meant it was a grocery store discussion, as well. It was a typical little story in the depressing town, one that was slowly dying off with the freeway expansion that had occurred when she was still a child. The change in the roads had taken traffic away from them and now, ten years later, it was a steady decline in their economy.

Rose sighed to herself as she glanced to her watch, trying not to be interested in the new students, but she couldn’t help herself. They were supposed to start today, but for whatever reason, they had not arrived, leaving much of the population largely disappointed. Rose didn’t care, or at least if you asked her, that’s how she would respond. They were just two more people that she didn’t give two shits about, she was ready to be done with it, the students, the school, and ultimately the fading town.

It was time, she knew that, but still slid back into her domain, her crawl space that she’d made her perfect hiding spot. She’d found it shortly after freshman year, and throughout the last three years had made it her own. She’d not told anyone of it, even when she did have friends and that made it more special now that she was a loner. Glancing along the sides of the entrance, the photos and knickknacks on the wall were her reminders that it would be over soon enough. She was a senior now, and high school was finally ending, though as it was only September, she still had months to endure.

Rose leaned forward marking one more X on the cardboard, the calendar she’d put up at the beginning of the year. Her last year at Springbrooke High, and she could finally leave the blasted town. At home she often joked that she’d contracted senioritis her first day of freshman year. Now, sitting, leaning against the concrete wall, listening to the wail of the first lunch bell, reminding her of her place for the next eight months. She pulled her mushy sandwich from her bag and stood slowly, stretching as she climbed out of her tiny hole in the wall. 

Picking up her bag as the warning bell rang, officially signaling the end of the lunch hour, she made her way out of the hiding space towards the main hall. Rose dumped her sandwich in the garbage, knowing she’d probably snack in History later in the day. Mr. Humez was by far her favorite teacher, and already having had him once during her sophomore years, knew of his lax food code. He wasn’t the concern when it came to classes anyway, the student body were largely the impossible ones to endure. 

Despite having been in school for nearly two weeks now, Rose pulled out her schedule, doubling checking she knew which class block was today’s. She groaned as she remembered it was gym, her least favorite subject, and definitely her lowest grade. She entered the locker rooms, quickly finding the one in the corner away from the other girls. Rose glanced at where she’d written her name on the label before changing quickly and headed to the main gym, uncertain what sport they were going to endure this day.

Because of the small school size, there was no splitting of classes, even during her Junior year when sex education had replaced gym class. She had been stuck learning how to roll on a condom with Barney Galifinsky seated beside her giving her pointers, and then followed up with comments about her impressive amounts of experience. It had been impossible to endure and Rose barely made it through, especially with his, and his buddies, constant snickering throughout the entire quarter. The thought almost made her smile, as this year, she continued to maintain she had no idea how her pencil ended up in his leg. 

She frowned as she approached the bleachers, watching as Barney scuttled to the opposite side, uncertain if he’d get a crowd to come over, or hide away from her direction when he was alone. She gave him a smile when his gaze continued to dart towards her, and she approached the empty seat on the corner, as if she’d change her mind and move closer to him. She knew how quickly his croons would come to his rescue, much as they had the day of the pencil sharpening.

Sighing, Rose decided to divert her attention and opened the book she’d brought along, despite changing for the class. The other students joined shortly thereafter, everyone in the same clothing. As their teacher began to speak, she opened to the familiar page, already having heard this lecture three years running for the start of the soccer unit, a sport she was actually decent at. The sudden whispers and giggles shook her attention, causing her to lift her eyes from the page. Her gaze hardened when she realized how close the precarious Mabby seemed to be, as though approaching on purpose. 

Known to everyone else as Maddy and Abby, they were definitely the prettiest in the school, but the problem was, the two knew it, too. Rose had thought they were friends once, but now things were different. They were no longer two separate students, now she’d found it was too easy to combine their names. As much as they were together, Rose found it easier to think of them as one unit, one brain... one person. She laughed to herself as their eyes grew wide, chests pushed out and their shorts lifted higher on their thighs to reveal the wonders of tanning beds. 

Rose finally looked where she saw a finger point, noticing the two boys in the doorway with Principal Winters. They had shown up, after all. She watched the decrepit old man lead them towards where the entire class sat on the bleachers, learning the rules of Soccer. She rolled her eyes after getting a quick glance at them, wanting to divert her attention back to her book, though she couldn’t help herself. 

One was obviously younger and by the look on his face, a badass, at least, in his mind. He was stronger, able to see the outline of his muscles through his t-shirt and Rose could already assume he’d be the favorite. The other kept his eyes on the ground, glancing only once as they called his name, indicating he was to join the class. He was thinner, wearing a sweatshirt jacket and high tops similar to her own. Rose was immediately curious, a part of her wondering if their presence would not be a bad thing, perhaps a friend out of the deal. She quickly shook that thought from her mind, she knew full well how easily rumors spread and despite the lies, the new students would hear soon enough. 

Rose glanced to see the other students staring as if these boys were celebrities. In some very sad respects, Rose knew they were inside the walls of this school and would most likely be stars for the next several months. They were bright shiny pennies that even after they began to scuff and display their imperfections, people would still adore them. They were new, pretty to look at it, and even if they were assholes, they’d still have the adoration of all. 

Rose sighed as she reopened her book, forcing herself to not look or speak to either one of them. She told herself that she didn’t care what they said or did, she wouldn’t be another one of the others, seeking out the new toys. By the way a few went over, she wondered if they were wealthy, like the majority of the town. Despite its drop, there was still a separation of the place, the wealthy, and the poor. Their school benefited from the proceeds, the hallways remained carpeted and contained digital clocks, for God’s sake. The people drove her up the wall, knowing the truth. If there was anything new, or unfamiliar, either it was idolized or thrown away, left as garbage. Like her family.

After the general introductions, a teacher guided the thinner one to the bench, while Principal Winters escorted the other boy to his own class. Rose vaguely listened as the class continued, the set-up for the Soccer game given easily enough. With the interruption of the new students, there wasn’t enough time to play, so she gathered her book when they were dismissed to change. Rose didn’t waste time talking or gossiping, like the other girls. She changed and gathered her bag as the bell rang, faintly listening to the sound of Mabby giggling as she exited the gym. 

She was walking by and her attention was caught by the rather the incessant giggling that always followed their actions, and for the moment, it was reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. As she entered the hallway, Rose was more than relieved at the thought of the coming study hall. She was still used to having sleep-ins during the summer, and currently, her body was aching for a nap. She doubted she’d get the chance but was still hopeful that she’d have an opportunity.

Rose walked into the room slowly, always wary of what she’d encounter, after a few unsightly incidences of bullying when a teacher was facing the wrong direction. Still, she entered the room, and immediately spotted the empty table in the corner, as many of the others already occupied with students. Relieved they didn’t have assigned seating in here, she threw her bag to the floor beside the chair and let her head fall against her arms as she sat. Her body tensed as the nail on the chalkboard sound resounded once again, and she opened one eye to see them near the doorway. Mabby. She inwardly groaned as the chair beside her moved and she slowly lifted her head in surprise to see her partner. The new kid was there. 

“Hey,” the new boy greeted, and Rose didn’t know what to say, thinking over her options. “I’m Joe,” he said, speaking a second time even though she hadn’t replied. Joe glanced towards her briefly before reaching in his bag and pulling out a notebook of paper and a pencil. Despite how he’d seemed in the gym, staring at the floor, he appeared more confident now, not anxious, or nervous as he started writing in the notebook. She wondered if there was some sort of façade about him. 

“Hi,” Rose spoke eventually, clearing her throat. In her attempt to ignore the minions that constantly surrounded her, it’d been hours since she last spoken, it left her throat scratchy and dry. She glanced at the writings Joe had already started before leaning back in her seat, closing her eyes as she tilted her head back. 

“Are you going to tell me your name?” he asked after a few moments. She opened one eye to look at him before smirking as he watched her, nodding her head slowly. 

“Rose,” she amended. He furrowed his brow in apparent confusion, causing her to laugh. She spread her hands out, indicating the rest of the classroom, whose eyes were on him. “Welcome to a small-town Joe... we all know; hell, they’ve been talking about you for weeks.”

“What?” he asked, his expression slightly appalled. Rose chuckled to herself and leaned forward in her chair resting her arms on the table. She could hear attendance being called in the distance and raised her hand just before Joe’s name was called as well. 

“Let’s face it, Joe,” she told him. “You and your brother are currently the greatest things since sliced bread. They’re more excited than when they realized that sparks make a fire.”

“Why?” he asked, a sense of confusion masking his face, and he continued to look down, slowly working on the drawing as they spoke in soft whispers. 

“You’re like the first new student in God knows how long,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Huh?” he sat back for a moment as if taking in the new information. “This place is pretty fucking small. So how long does this thing last?” he asked, moving his hand flawlessly over the notebook. “I mean, this everyone wanting to know about us.”

“Yeah, they are definitely curious about you both,” she sighed. Joe gave her a glare and she smiled, pulling her book out of her bag as she spoke, “I don’t know... a few weeks, months, it all depends on how much drama you emit.”

“I see, I see,” he nodded. She opened her book, glancing around the classroom to see nearly all the tables still looking towards them. “Well, it is high school, after all. Drama everywhere.”

“See what I mean?” she asked, pointing around the room with her eyes. He glanced up briefly and shrugged as he apparently noticed the lingering eyes. 

“This is so weird,” he sighed. She shrugged as she looked down, immediately growing bored with the material in front of her. 

“It’ll be over soon enough,” Rose assured him. “The novelty wears off eventually, soon enough you’ll be another face in the crowd, never quite included but a part all the same.”

“Why never included?” Rose was surprised to see the interest on his face. 

“You weren’t born here,” she explained easily enough. “I’ve lived here since I was seven, but I’m still not on the inside.”

“Interesting,” he nodded, turning back to whatever, he was writing. 

“But I think the fact that you guys are attractive will help you immensely,” Rose said with a laugh, shrugging her shoulders.

“You think I’m attractive,” he smirked, not even bothering to pose it as a question, and she groaned at his words.

“No, I just said you are,” she stated. She pointed around the room as she spoke, “Look, all the guys hate you because all the girls want you.”

“This year is going to be so long,” he sighed and leaned back in his chair, meanwhile Rose put her book away, not bothering to worry about it much longer. 

“Why’s that?” she asked. Rose knew why she thought it was going to be long, but this kid had just gotten here. 

“I’ve been home schooled the last three years,” Joe explained. “This is my first and only year at a high school.”

“Why now?” Rose asked, for once, genuinely curious. He shook his head, his eyes moving to the tablet before him. 

“Long story,” he said with a sad sigh and she nodded. They sat for several minutes, her head in her arms as she watched the clock tick by slowly.

“What class do you have next?” she asked quietly, changing the subject and watching as he pulled out his new schedule. 

“History with Humez,” he answered slowly, as if to assure he pronounced the teacher correctly. “You?”

“The same,” she nodded. “We can walk together, unless you’d prefer Mabby to show you.”

“Uh, Mabby?” he asked. Rose blushed, suddenly realizing she’d said the name aloud, before laughing. 

“Oh, Maddy and Abby,” she explained, and he nodded. Rose watched him bite his lip to hide the smile as he glanced in the girls’ direction, where they were still blatantly staring and whispering amongst themselves. 

“Nice,” he shook his head, glancing over towards her. 

“You know,” Rose started slowly, glancing where Maddy sat with her twin. “Maddy just broke up with her boyfriend... you better watch out.”

“Huh, why’s that?” he asked, clearly amused. 

“They were like the ‘it’ couple,” Rose shrugged. “It was a huge travesty when he dumped her sorry ass before shipping himself off to nail some college girls... she’s eager for a replacement.”

“Wow,” Joe laughed. She smiled as he continued to chuckle, earning them a warning shush from the teacher. “I’m sure she’s just lonely.”

“It does get lonely at the top,” she replied, still smiling. “But honestly, she wants a replacement, someone to undress her in the hallways, take her to the dances, you know... the works.”

“And it has nothing to do with maybe wanting that companionship?” he asked, clearly still amused, and she covered her mouth to hold in laughter. 

“Are you crazy? No, no,” she said, shocked at the thought. “Companionship, no, she wants a trophy boy. And you, Joe, are fresh meat.”

“Yes,” he said after several moments, his eyes seemed eager to change the subject. “I want you to show me where my next class is.” She wasn’t expecting the way he’d spoken, but she told herself he was being nice. Rose nodded and leaned her head against her arms, turning her head to face him. 

“So, is it all you hoped it would be?” she asked quietly, and he turned to look at her. “You know, going to high school?’

“I didn’t want to be here,” he said after a moment. “If that’s what you’re asking, this was by no means my choice.”

“Oh,” she nodded. She glanced towards the clock realizing they had just a few minutes left. She sat up, putting away her book and pulled her bag over her shoulders. “Bell’s about to ring... I don’t wait.”

“Uh, okay,” he nodded, quickly shoving his notebook and pencil into the bag. She stood as the bell rung and wrapped a hand around his upper arm to pull him out of the classroom. 

“This way,” she instructed, and he followed. She noted the way he walked so sure of himself as they walked down the hall. Rose wasn’t sure what to make of him quite yet. They made a final turn and he nearly collided as she paused in front of the classroom to allow other students to exit. 

“Rose James,” Mr. Humez greeted. She grinned as she took a seat off to the far side of the classroom, Joe sitting beside her. 

“Hi, Mr. Humez,” she greeted warmly. 

“How was your summer?” she shrugged, and he nodded in understanding. He turned to greet other students that had entered, all excited to see him. It was not a secret that he was a favorite teacher among most of the student body. 

“Good teacher?” Joe asked quietly and she nodded. He started to pull out his books and Rose immediately stopped his actions.

“He’s going to assign seats,” she explained. “I’ll probably be stuck sitting next to you in another class.”

“Gee, thanks,” Joe said with a laugh. She shrugged, looking up as the bell rang and Mr. Humez pulled out his papers. Everyone stood as he pointed out the seats and as predicted, she and Joe were seated beside each other. 

It was Rose’s only class of the day to every fly by quickly. She looked at the clock only once, when there was merely five minutes left in the day. When the final bell rang, she felt a surge of relief, and was already sprinting for the door. She glanced back, surprised to see Joe right behind her. 

“Do you have time to show me my locker?” he asked as she moved quickly down the hall. Rose stopped and nodded, wanting to say no, but after having learned his last name, knew that Jonas would be close to James. He followed closely until she found hers and she gave a quick bang against the metal to indicate which one was his, just to her right. 

“There you go,” she spoke as she pulled out the books she didn’t need, replacing them with the ones she did. 

“Thanks,” he gave her a nod. “So, do you need a ride home or anything?”

“Nah, I walk,” Rose gave him a small smile before walking away with a wave of her hand, “Thanks though.”

“See you tomorrow,” he called, and she turned to see his smirk. 

“Bye, Jonas,” she smiled, ignoring the comments from the minions as she passed by. 

When Rose arrived home, she was glad to see her mother was home for the evening, an early one for her. “Rose,” she heard her mother call from her place in the front door. “Honey, is that you?” 

“Yep,” she yelled back as she set her bag by the door. She scurried through the kitchen, grabbing an apple off the counter before following the sound of her mother’s voice on the porch. Rose sat in the chair across from her, attempting to read the title of the book her mother held. 

“So, how was it?” she asked cautiously, placing the book beside her. Rose smiled, knowing she recognized the discomfort her daughter felt in the town, but this was her dream home and there was no way Rose could argue with it. 

“It could’ve been worse,” she said, uncertain how her mother always knew she was having an off day. She stared forward, out into the lifeless yard. As an only child, Rose was too old to be playing and running in the open grass, well at least when she was alone. 

“What about those Jonas boys?” she asked. “They were supposed to start today, right?” 

“How do you know their names?” Rose asked; her attention peaked at her mother’s knowledge. She watched the older woman chuckle before shaking her head. 

“Relax,” she sighed. “I met their father at the office. I overheard him mention moving to Springbrooke, and he told me about his sons. And I, of course, told him about my brilliant daughter.” 

“Yeah, I met Joe,” Rose said with a sigh. “He’s nice and all, but I’m not about to be friends with the kid.” 

“Why not?” her mother asked hesitantly, and Rose immediately rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine don’t tell me... I didn’t really like their father either. He was a bit pretentious for my tastes.” 

“Ugh, it’s not that,” Rose responded with a smile on her face. “Like he sat with me in study hall, and now we’re going to be stuck together, and I think he thinks we’re going to be friends.” 

“I don’t see the problem,” her mother stated with a smile on her face. Rose eyed her carefully before releasing a deep sigh, “I think it’d good for you to make at least one friend, someone you can bring to the house every once in a while.”

“It’s not him,” she explained. “Like everyone else staring at us and shit, sorry stuff, but gah! I don’t know... it’s just weird.” 

“Yeah, I’m still confused,” the older woman responded in a fit of laughter. Rose groaned loudly, leaning forward to rest her head in his hands. 

“I just think it’s gonna be harder on him if he’s friends with me,” she answered quietly. She lifted her head, staring into the yard again, but unsure of what to say. 

“Are they still giving you problems?” her mother asked hesitantly. Rose shrugged, not having an answer for her, “You can talk to me... if you need to.” 

“I know, Ma,” she replied, giving her a smile. “It’s just things I gotta figure out, you know?” 

“While you’re figuring it out,” her mother smiled. “I need you to run in town and grab me a few things for dinner.” 

“Aww, really?” Rose whined. Her mother nodded with a smile, picking up her book, “Seriously, and you’re going to read?” 

“I am,” she nodded. “It’s good for you to get out and get some fresh air... I need to relax; I had a stressful day.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Rose responded with a roll of her eyes. She stood, grabbing the list her mother had set on the table. “I’ll be back,” she called over her shoulder, sighing dramatically, but her mother only laughed in response.


	2. II

The following day, Rose entered the school a few minutes early, and was in good spirits, having accepted the ride from her mother after a surprise breakfast at the local diner. She was immediately faced with her favorite duo and controlled the urge to roll her eyes as Mabby walked by, their arms linked together. The only thing missing was the monkey walk, she mused to herself and watched another favorite walk by. As per usual, Barney cowered from her when none of his friends were in sight.

As she neared the corner, Rose hid her eyes from the various couples ‘getting to know each other’ and tried not to wonder what that might feel like. The sights quickly reminded her why she rarely used this entrance, as there was no supervision and not a person to stop them from going at it. She was lost in her thoughts and not paying attention as she rounded the corner towards her locker. The halls were empty, and her thoughts ran amuck, causing her to bump directly into a warm body, to which she immediately recoiled.

“My bad,” she muttered, leaning over to pick up the book he’d dropped. He swiftly reached to tug it from her hand, and her eyes narrowed as she stared up at the boy, pulling her arm from his grasp. He was the new kid, the one she’d not spoken to, but now it was easy to see why. She failed to hide her anger as she pulled it behind her back, much like a small child. “What the fuck’s your problem?” 

“Watch where you’re going,” he seethed after a moment, apparently surprised by her outburst. She rolled her eyes at his antics and stared up at him, waiting to see what he was going to do, if he was like the others at this school.

“Get off the high horse, dumbass,” Rose snapped back, glaring at him as she was always on the defense. “It was an accident. But here, take your damn book so I can get on my way.” 

Rose knew she was being difficult, but still slammed the book against his chest and slid around him, her anger seeping through her stiff movements. She suddenly heard the familiar high-pitched giggles and turned once to see Mabby move in to comfort the stranger. They were touching his arms protectively, their eyes staring Rose down as she walked away. She groaned, reminding herself to control her anger, reminded of her mother’s warnings for this school year.

It was a few moments later, after calming, when Rose realized she had no idea why she’d lost her temper to him. There was a level of guilt, fully aware he was an unfamiliar face in the school and around them. She’d just treated him like everyone else treated her. After a quick deduction, Rose decided she’d tried to be nice next time, to make up for it. She groaned to herself at the thought, wondering if he’d play into Mabby’s obsession as they didn’t need another asshole in this school. 

When she reached her locker, Rose sighed as she spotted the familiar figure sitting in front of it. She began to laugh at the sight of Joe, knowing she could’ve expected to see him, after colliding with his brother. She watched his head bounced against the metal door as he struggled to stay awake, much as she was feeling after the unveiled annoyance with the other boy. 

“Hey,” she mumbled, shoving his leg with her foot for fun. Joe jumped awake, throwing his head back into the door with a bang as he looked up at Rose. She covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed, amused that he’d done it. Joe sent her a glare as he shifted to move away from the front of her locker, letting her get inside of it.

“Morning to you, too,” he mumbled, voice filled with exhaustion, and she shrugged in response. She glanced to the other end of the hall, eyeing Mabby still with the younger version of the one on the floor. 

Rose’s gaze lingered down the hall for too many seconds, and deciding to focus on her task, turned and stepped towards her locker wordlessly, turning the combination quickly. Once she set her things inside, Rose sat down in front of the opening, leaning her head back to kill the minutes they had until their first class. She closed her eyes, sighing to herself as she realized her good mood was gone, all because of this blasted school. She felt eyes upon her, someone watching her, and she slowly opened the door wider with her hand, one eye towards Joe.

“Hey,” he smiled, and she chuckled at his odd behavior. She mumbled a quick response before moving her head back against the door. “Why’re you so tired?” 

“Why are you?” she mused, closing both her eyes once again. “You’re the one who was falling asleep against my locker, was it not?” 

“Not used to this house,” he said after a moment. She opened her eyes to glance towards him, and she slowly nodded in understanding. 

“Hey,” They both looked up at the sound of another and Rose opened her eyes to see the other Jonas in front of them. She tried to recall his name but had only heard it in passing among the halls. She watched him kick Joe with his shoe when he didn’t respond, and she hid a smile as Joe rolled his eyes.

“Hello,” Joe said. The younger version of him almost smiled when Mabby suddenly formed at his side. Rose audibly sighed, and immediately looked down, looking away to avoid the interaction. She knew she’d behaved poorly, but his response took her by surprise.

“What’s with this bitch?” he spoke up and Rose’s eyes immediately shot up to see Mabby giggling at his side. Rose’s lips parted with a prepared response, glancing to Joe and then back at the other boy, her words lost, and she knew she’d regret it later on for not thinking faster. 

“Shut up, Nick,” Joe said gruffly, his tone harsh and unfamiliar as he glared at his younger brother. 

Nick only let out a noise of annoyance before starting to walk away, obviously deciding the purpose of coming over wasn’t important now. Rose watched him moving farther down the hallway, Maddy glancing back and her eyes momentarily locking with Rose’s before she looked towards Joe. Rose shifted uncomfortably, glancing towards Nick once more and wasn’t sure what to make of the look on his face, because he was already staring back at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

“Ooh, interesting,” Rose spoke up, focusing her attention away from the rude boy. She forced some laughter into her voice, appearing that she didn’t care about any of it. Joe glanced at her curiously and she shrugged her shoulders, “It appears as though you and the ass are prizes.” 

“The ass?” Joe asked with his brow scrunched in confusion but seemed to catch on after a moment. 

“Your brother,” Rose stated easily, feeling it was obvious. Joe chuckled as he shrugged and nodded in agreement. “It appears as though you don’t get along?” She couldn’t help asking, feeling more curious than annoyed now. 

“Nah,” he shrugged. She watched Joe shift and his face giving away more than his words did, though she wasn’t sure what to make of it. He let out a slow breath and she glanced down at her hands, “We don’t really know each other.” 

“I see,” she nodded as though she understood. Rose glanced at the clock, seeing it was nearly time to leave, and shifted to face her locker, grabbing her needed books for the morning. Joe eyed her actions and followed suit as he looked at his schedule. Rose looked over when she was done and smiled. 

“Let me see your schedule,” she said as she shut her locker. Joe handed over the piece of paper, and she quickly surveyed the information listed.

“Do we have any together?” Joe asked quickly and she nodded, smiling as she pointed to the Math class, her third period. He smiled and nodded, releasing a breath of relief, “Good, that’s my worst class.” 

“Me too,” she agreed, though knew it was a slight lie. She definitely had high marks in her classes, but Math she actually had to work to earn the needed grade. It wasn’t a class to sit idly by in for her. 

“Then we can hate it together,” Joe mused, and she shrugged her shoulders. 

“If you say so,” Rose sighed. 

She watched Joe get off the floor, but he stumbled against the lockers. The loud clang of the metal causing several people to stare. She held in the urge to laugh, uncertain how others would respond. But when Joe glared down at her and she frowned at the sight, knowing it wasn’t her fault he’d stumbled and caused the echoing sounds. Joe finally stood up fully straight and reached for Rose’s hand, but she rolled her eyes, easily moving to stand on her own without his assistance.

“Your class is down that hall on the left side,” Rose pointed in the opposite direction than she had to go. She shifted uncomfortably, still unsure what to make of the way he’d responded to stumbling but didn’t want to overthink it. He was much nicer than most of the people at school, and admittedly, it was nice to have someone to talk to.

“Thanks,” Joe let out a breath before he departed with a quick wave. She turned without saying more and as she rounded the corner. She was once again running into someone. She groaned audibly, realizing she’d run directly into the two girls she so desperately preferred to avoid. 

“Aww, it’s Rose,” one of the girls quipped, but she didn’t focus on who was speaking. Rose shuddered as the girls moved close, her feet frozen for a moment, because they rarely spoke directly to her anymore. It was mostly snide comments about her. They both tended to find great amusement in her outward disdain for everyone around her, particularly them. Glancing around, Rose sighed and looked down, knowing that they were supposed to be heading to the same class. 

“Come on, Rosalina,” Abby spoke up, using her full name as she wrapped her arm around Rose’s shoulders. “Let’s talk.” 

“Jesus Christ,” Rose groaned, shrugging away from them. The two girls feigned shock as Rose turned to glare at them, “It’s eight o’clock in the morning, and I am in no mood to deal with you idiots.” 

“Fine,” Maddy rolled her eyes, far too dramatic for Rose’s tastes. 

Rose shook her head, forcing a laugh as she entered the classroom, relieved that her seat was on the opposite side of the room, away the annoying duo. Focusing on what she needed for class, she pulled her textbook, but also grabbed her current novel of choice, easily losing herself in its material as the bell rang. Rose vaguely heard her teacher begin class, slowly droning on about the conjugation of the Spanish verbs. She knew she should pay attention and lifted her head during attendance but went back to the text afterwards. 

Oddly, she suddenly felt uncomfortable, the hair rising on the back of her neck, and she looked behind her, wary of another prank against her. There was no one there and she sighed with relief, but Rose looked to see Mabby in a deep discussion. It was never a good thing when the two of them got serious, and she especially didn’t like the way their eyes continually flashed towards her. It appeared they were up to something, but she didn’t know what it could possibly be.

Rose was accustomed to ignoring their antics and juvenile behavior, but today was proving more difficult than usual. Perhaps it was the new school year or the early hour, but it was all attributing to her overwhelming feeling of annoyance. It left her unable to concentrate on the book, but she kept it out, trying to read the text but her focus was lost now. She sighed with relief when the end of the class neared, and she could be relieved of their presence for at least one hour. While there were others there to annoy her, she could be relieved of Maddy and Abby for a little while.

As usual, the moment the bell rang Rose was up and out of her chair, sliding out of the doorway before anyone could stop her. She took a quick glance down the hall to remember which class was next, though knew she should know by now, considering they were already two weeks into the school year. She found a relieved feeling of liberation at the thought of English class, her own personal domain. She breathed in a sigh. This was one of her few classes without the presence of the blonde bimbos or other idiots they followed. 

She entered the classroom wordlessly but smiled at Ms. Rankin. Rose had her a few times over the years, and her opinion hadn’t changed of her. She was an odd woman, with her frazzled hair and obnoxiously bright clothing, but a good teacher, nonetheless. Now that Rose was a senior, they were preparing for the big assignment, the dreaded research papers. There would be two, one due at the end of each semester. For the first paper, the were instructed to write twenty pages on something pertaining to a book, and Rose had easily chosen To Kill a Mockingbird, her favorite. 

Rose had frequented the world of Scout’s adventures with Jem roughly once a month since discovering the book in middle school. Even after all the other books she’d read and explored, this one had remained her favorite tale. As she’d grown older, her understanding of the themes and motifs had grown, making an impression that struck closer to home. The book often left her with a sad, but thoughtful disposition at the end, though it never stopped her from reading it repeatedly. 

“Good morning, Rose,” Ms. Rankin greeted, shaking her of her thoughts. 

Rose gave her a small smile before the older woman turned, switching her attention to the other students entering the room. Rose glanced in that direction as well and with the entrance of a particular student, her eyes grew wide at the sight. Nick was walking through the door, looking out of place considering he wasn’t in their year, or so, she thought. His eyes quickly found hers and he stood up straight, almost smiling, then grimaced in annoyance, similar to her own gaze. He walked towards her tenaciously, sliding into the seat beside her, and she sighed, not wanting to do this now.

“Why, hello,” Nick greeted, the smug grin encompassing his features. She stared forward, unwilling to play into his cocky games. He was just like everyone, she’d decided, and she didn’t care for that. “Aww, you’re not going to talk to me, even after running into me? That’s too bad… I wanted to talk to you.” 

“What are you even doing here?” Rose seethed, losing her temper once again. He shrugged as she scowled over towards him, speaking boldly, “You’re not even a senior.” 

“Yes, this is correct,” Nick acknowledged with a nod. He chuckled at her scowl before explaining, “You see, my dear, I’m in the very, very top of my class, or I was at the other school. My intelligence is far beyond your senior English... so now, I’m stuck in this class, with you.” He glanced over her, making her crouch away out of reflex, “Though, not a bad deal, I’d say.” 

“You’re a prick,” Rose muttered, forcing herself not to play into his games as she faced forward. She had chosen the seat in the back corner on purpose, knowing no one else sat there and she could be free of the jerks in the school. Just as she was figuring out where she’d sit the next day to avoid him, Ms. Rankin threw her for a loop, speaking directly to Nick.

“Where you’re seated,” she explained, giving him a warm, welcoming smile, “is going to be your seat for the rest of the quarter. I hope you’ve chosen wisely.” 

Rose fought to maintain composure as Nick laughed softly beside her, resting chin against his hand as he looked in her direction. Rose’s jaw tightened as she stared at the ground in front of her, unable to focus, even in her favorite class. Suddenly, it seemed, that this was no longer her haven and she realized she’d rather be sitting next to his new girlfriends than him. 

“So, what’s your name, darling?” he smirked, but she continued to stare forward, not acknowledging his presence. He’d already spoken her name and she knew he wasn’t stupid now, so she definitely wasn’t going to toy with him. “Aww, why aren’t you gonna tell me?” 

“Rose,” Ms. Rankin called out, and she inwardly groaned as he chuckled beside her. “Will you start with the reading?” 

“Yes,” she answered obediently, grabbing the assigned book from inside her bag. She opened up to her bookmark, having read the first of the Chaucer’s the night before. It was actually a nice reprieve, as he accepted the book from Ms. Rankin and opened it up, momentarily forgetting to give her grief. 

As the class continued, so did his constant focus on it. There was a mix of his comments and the way he always seemed to have the right answer, when called upon. It was a never-ending cycle, which had her loathing her seat, the classroom, the subject, the very school because of his juvenile behavior. The seconds passed like hours as her eyes remained on the clock, just waiting for her chance to leave. For the first time in her entire life she was aching to get to Math class, as atrocious as Pre-Calculus had already proven to be the day before. 

Rose had her bag in hand ready to stand as the bell rang. However, as she stood, his body suddenly blocked her exit, forcing her to wait for him to move. Rose could see Nick smiling above her, obviously finding her antics amusing, and there was no question why he and the duo got along so well. Rose was far from finding this funny, yet he started to chuckle, his behavior making her retract her previous belief that castration was unreasonable. She finally shoved past him, being rough, but as Ms. Rankin open her mouth to scold, she rushed from the room, not wanting to hear any of it. 

“What’s the matter?” Rose glanced up in the hall to see Joe suddenly walking beside her. She let out a loud groan of frustration that had him laughing as she hurried down the hallway towards the math wing, “That bad, huh?”   
“Yes,” she nodded, leading them towards their class. She didn’t want to discuss what had happened, considering they were brothers, and it could make things awkward. They entered the classroom and she saw just a few students inside, and as he gestured towards the table in the back, she nodded. The classroom used to be for the chemistry classes and the tables remained, forcing the students to sit two to a table, facing the front of the room.

“Well, I had just had to listen to that one chick for the last hour,” Joe spoke up as they sat. She watched him shrug nonchalantly, and although his face remained emotionless, his eyes did not. Rose glanced towards him trying to figure out which “chick” to whom he was referring, but assumed one of the duo.

“Um, yeah, not sure...” she trailed off as he chuckled in realization. He suddenly mocked a hair flip over his shoulder as he covered his mouth releasing a string of high-pitched giggles, “Ah, Mabby, which one?” 

“The one seeking a male companion,” he rolled his eyes. Rose laughed and she rested her head on her arms facing him. “All I heard is how much fun we would have at homecoming... you know, once I ask her.” 

“No way,” Rose laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. “Did she really say that?” Joe nodded, his eye narrowing at her reaction, “Wow, she’s even more delusional that I had originally thought.” 

“I honestly thought you were over exaggerating,” Joe sighed, accepting the textbook from the teacher when indicated to. “And, honestly, it’s physics, why is she even taking the class... she didn’t know who Newton was.” 

“Yeah, uh,” Rose glanced towards him, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know either.” 

“Oh, you know, Newton’s Laws?” Joe explained. “It’s like basic stuff; really basic... obviously you’re not taking Physics.” 

“Nope,” she shook her head, feeling uncertain why he was pressing the issue. “I’ve got my chemistry, though I wish I would’ve taken physics now, just to watch you squirm under her unabashed scrutiny.” 

“What?” he gasped, feigning innocence.

“Okay, right now,” Rose explained. “She’s already been in some bathroom with half a dozen girls squealing about how you looked at her just right, and the two of you are destined to be life partners and procreate while living in an expensive house over on Richard’s.” 

“What’s Richard’s?” he asked, and she laughed. 

“It’s like the primo hoity-toity area up on the north end of town,” she explained. “We’re talking June fucking Cleaver kind of neighborhood over there.”

“Um, yeah, that’s a little weird,” Joe shook his head in disbelief, but a part of him seemed pleased by the whole thing. “This shit is unreal... I mean honestly, what the hell are they thinking?” 

“I don’t know,” Rose shrugged, staring ahead. She watched as the last of the students straggled in followed by the loud shrill of the bell. 

“So, you didn’t tell me what pissed you off,” Joe said, both of them ignoring the sight of the teacher in front of the room, already writing several equations across the board. 

“The spawn of Satan,” Rose cringed at the thought of him. Joe held an amused expression, as though he wasn’t understanding to whom she was referring, but Rose didn’t elaborate. She rolled her eyes at the look on his face and Joe chuckled in response. 

As they began copying the notes from the board, a silence fell between them. Rose focused on the lecture, taking the notes she’d need for the homework assignment. Her teacher continued to speak, and she tried her best to pay attention, trying to understand the difficult concept. Despite having all the assignments listed in the syllabus, this was a class that she wouldn’t be able to work ahead in, considering how much she struggled in the subject. 

“So,” Joe whispered after they were given time to work. Rose moved her eyes from the clock towards him and she could see an unreadable expression on his face. “Uh, I’m sorry about my bro-, Nick... this morning.” 

“Huh?” Rose stared, wondering how he could’ve known about her class. Joe chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief, as though he hadn’t expected her confusion. 

“Him calling you a bitch,” he elaborated, and she nodded in understanding, having almost forgotten the entire incident after what happened during English class. “But I guess you weren’t upset about it.” 

“Eh,” she shrugged her shoulders, feigning nonchalance. “Not really,” she released a breath before glancing towards their homework, wanting to change the subject, “What’d you get for thirty-two?”

“Um,” Joe stared down at his paper, his face hard as he glanced back to her. “I’m on ten. How the hell did you get there already?”   
“I may hate the subject,” she explained with a smile, feeling it was okay to let him know she was smart. “But I am not necessarily bad at it... it’s annoying subject.”

“Jesus, and I thought we were equals,” he groaned playfully, and she laughed at the look on his face. Rose suddenly looked down at his paper and stared at him knowingly.

“Ooh, someone’s gonna need a tutor,” she teased, pointing out a wrong answer to question eight. “I don’t tutor anymore, but you should ask Maddy, I’ll bet she’d learn some Math for you.” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Joe scoffed, and she bit her lip to hide her amusement. Rose turned back to her homework, only glancing back when he cleared his throat, “Do you think you’d help me sometime? With the math, I mean.” 

“I take it’s really not your best subject then,” Rose commented, and he shook his head sheepishly. His eyes found hers and she slowly nodded in agreement. “Even though I hate it, Math and I are connected at the hip, a least, a little. I might as well share what I do know.”

“Good to know,” Joe mused, a smile coming to his face at her laughter. He turned back to his notebook and she glanced to see him pulling out his syllabus he’d been handed, “Do you think you could come over like after school tomorrow?”

“Uh, probably, I’ll ask my mom,” Rose answered with a slow nod, “Why tomorrow though?” 

“Nick’ll be gone,” Joe stated emotionlessly, and she felt a wave of relief along with the thought that he’d be gone, though it was fairly obvious Joe’s own feelings towards his brother. He pointed down the list to the first of six projects for the semester, “Anyway, I know this first one’s not due until Monday, but this project is going to be a fail on my part.”

“Oh, I forgot,” she said suddenly glancing at his. “He said yesterday there was a mistake and it’s actually for partners, so you can find someone to help you.”

“Who’s your partner?” he asked, and she rolled her eyes knowing he knew the answer. “Come on, help me with it.”

“Nah,” she shook her head. “I like to work alone; I don’t have to bother with the fight over how to split up the work.”

“And we already know you could probably kick my ass,” he pondered, and she nodded, understanding he’d heard the rumors already. “Come on, Rose,” Joe whined as he leaned back in his seat. “I don’t want to be stuck with just anyone.” 

“Fine,” she groaned, agreeing with a roll of her eyes. “Tomorrow I’ll show you the work I’ve already done, there’s not much left.”

“Awesome,” Joe grinned, and she shook her head at his obvious relief. 

“But the next one,” she pointed down the list. “That one isn’t for partners,” Rose said, glancing towards him. “You’ll have to strap on a pair by then and do it yourself.”

“Nah,” he laughed. “I’ll still enlist your assistance,” he mused, and she bit her lip to hold in her laughter from where their teacher had already been eyeing them cautiously. 

“Hush,” Rose shushed him quietly. “You’re about to get us in trouble with all this talking.” 

Joe shook his head as Rose began packing her bag, noting the time. Joe followed along, both quickly preparing to shotgun it out of the classroom. The bell rang and she moved first, though he was closer to the door. He pulled his schedule and she glanced over his arm, noticing the same English teacher as her. She gave a quick point with her thumb in the direction he was supposed to go. 

“It’s the same classroom I just came out of,” she explained, knowing he’d caught her coming out of it before Math. 

“See you on the Soccer field,” Joe smiled, reminding her of gym class, and she rolled her eyes, before grinning mischievously. 

“I’m more worried about you,” she smirked. “Mabby is gonna get their first glimpse of you in your uniform, I hope you’re prepared.”

“Oh God,” Joe groaned and rolled his eyes. “I hadn’t even thought about it, thanks for pointing it out. Now I’m going to be worried about it all through English.”

“It’s what I do,” Rose responded with a smile before turning in the down another hall. He muttered something under his breath and her laughter echoed down the hallway as she waved without looking back.


	3. III

Rose stood with her back the cool metal of her locker, shaking her head as Joe mumbled obscenities from his locker below her. She glanced down to see him piling through his books, searching for a pen he’d lost. Rose had extras, but she wasn’t about to share, when he obviously wasn’t great at keeping hold of the things he needed to.

“I can’t believe you lost yours already,” she reasoned. “You’ve been here two days, that’s hardly time to lose anything.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled before calling out a small cheer. “Found it,” Joe sang smugly, holding it up as proof. She rolled her eyes as he put it in his bag.

“You ready?” Joe asked, shutting his locker with a firm slam. Rose turned towards him, quickly nodding her head and felt resigned at the thought of where they were going. He glanced down at the ground before looking at her and she immediately narrowed her eyes at the look on his face, “So, uh, Nick might be there after all, but he’s supposed to be going to someone’s house.”

“Seriously?” she asked gruffly, knowing it wasn’t Joe’s fault that Nick was acting like a child all the time, he was younger, after all. His constant attitude only proved it, especially during their English class. Joe nodded.

“Fine, just don’t leave me alone with him,” Rose sighed and rolled her eyes and he chuckled. “Seriously, unless you don’t care that he spends the rest of his life without the ability to speak.”

“It would probably save me some pain and discomfort,” Joe said playfully, countering her negative response, “However, I doubt Lisa will see it the same way.”

“Who is Lisa?” she asked, and he released a long sigh before glancing towards her with an unfamiliar look in his eyes.

“His mother,” Joe answered, as though it was a simple answer, but Rose felt there was definitely more to the story.

“I see,” she said with a nod, considering her own relationship with her father. First name basis now, even years after it all happened, but she didn’t pry, not wanting to bother Joe by asking too many questions.

“At least someone does,” he laughed darkly, and it made Rose more curious, but still, kept her distance from asking more.

They walked out to the parking lot and she followed Joe, stopping beside his car. Rose watched as he unlocked his car, waiting patiently. She slid into the front seat, buckling in as he started the vehicle. She expected him to drive away but looked out the window when he’d yet to move. She turned to look at Joe in confusion.

“What...?” Rose started to say, but realization clouded her eyes as Joe glanced towards her sheepishly. “At least he’s stuck in the back.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, though didn’t truly sound apologetic. Rose shrugged her shoulders, releasing a deep breath and tried to move past the thought of having to spend additional time with Nick. “If it makes you feel any better, I can’t stand him either.”

“No shit,” she laughed, amused that he’d thought he kept it a secret. “Well, you just went from being weird to awesome. Seriously, how are you two even related?”

“Wait,” he held up a hand and she stared at him curiously, expecting him to respond with something about Nick, but he bypassed it altogether. “You think I’m weird?”

“Duh,” Rose rolled her eyes, still amused. “Of course, you’re weird. I’ve seen it in both of you, you and your brother.” Joe groaned in annoyance and she immediately started laughing.

“I hate when you call him that,” Joe stated evenly, all amusement fading from his features, and Rose looked away uncomfortably, “He’s hardly my brother, and he’s a complete ass to you.”

“Awe,” she grinned, trying to lighten the tension that settled in the car. “Are you going to protect me, you big strong manly man?”

“Not if you’re gonna be a bitch,” he retorted. Joe suddenly sat up straighter in his seat, puffing his chest out, “Though big, strong, and manly are the terms most would use to describe me.”

“By your internet girlfriend maybe,” Rose chuckled. Joe suddenly reached over, playfully giving her a pinch on the arm and she squealed in response, punching his shoulder.

“Damn,” Joe groaned rubbing his arm as she rubbed hers. “That hurt... you really can throw a punch.”

“Either that, or you’re a pansy,” Rose rolled her eyes. “You’ve implied it before, right?”

“I’ll bet Maddy thinks I’m manly,” he teased, and Rose stared at him, before shrugging and nodding in agreement.

“Do you really want to talk about what part of you Maddy thinks is manly?” she cocked her head as he shuddered. “You brought it up, not me.”

Joe groaned suddenly, his gaze no longer on her and she could feel the shift in his demeanor. Instead of feeling unsettled, she was curious and eager to learn more about this boy and what had him so upset by Nick. Still, she sighed as she glanced out of the window watching as the cocky figure approached the car. Rose immediately trained her eyes on the floor as Joe flicked the unlock button for the back doors, and waited for some form of torture while studying with Joe.

“Huh, this is unexpected,” Nick muttered as he entered the car, immediately sticking his head into the middle of the front seat, glancing between them.

“Buckle up,” Joe stated without emotion and Nick nodded his head. Rose glanced to see him shift back in the middle seat to clasp the buckle over his waist, but then he was leaning back over the seat, his face dangerously close to Rose’s cheek.

“Why hello, Rosalina,” he smirked, voice low but she turned forward, deciding not to give into his antics. She’d endured two days of English class with him and that was enough. She cleared her throat, trying to calm her unease, and felt her jaw set tight as Joe’s car teetered into the line of students waiting to exit the parking lot.

“Aw,” he grinned, leaning his face closer to her. “Come on, we had so much fun in English today.”

“Nick, sit back,” Joe groaned, “Don’t be your usual self.” Nick didn’t say anything to that, and Rose was surprised he did as Joe said. Rose smirked, pleased with Joe and settled into the seat, more comfortable with Nick further away.

“So, Joe, my darling brother,” Nick spoke up. Rose glanced back to see him leaning back as if he owned the seat. His hands rested on either side of the headrests, gripping the material, “I spoke with Maddy Daniels today, you know her?”

“Yeah,” Joe nodded, his hands gripping the steering wheel. “What about it?”

“Well, I’m taking her to the dance,” Nick grinned, and Rose glanced again to see him wiggling his eyebrows, “Unless Rosalina wants to come with me, of course.”

“Unless you want to end up castrated and tied to a tree,” she sneered, more than annoyed that he was going with Maddy. She glanced back at Nick, surprised to see him without his usual cock gaze, “I’d steer clear of that idea.”

“You’d be boring anyway,” he commented gruffly, as though annoyed with her now. She watched as he turned his face in Joe’s direction, smiling now, “She’s got a sister who’s hotter than her, so you should take Maddy and I can get her sister.”

“Who’s her sister?” Joe spoke up in confusion and Rose rolled her eyes.

“She’s in college,” Rose answered for him, wanting to have the chance to take Nick out of the conversation. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at him in the back seat, “And a completely slutty idiot... I doubt she can even tie her shoes without assistance.”

“Like I care if she’s smart or not,” Nick rolled her eyes, an unreadable expression in his eyes as they bore into Rose’s, and for once, she didn’t know what to say. She cleared her throat and looked away, wanting to ease the tension she felt around Nick. He riled her up so easily.

“I think that much is obvious,” Rose laughed lightly, shaking off the uneasy feelings, and Joe couldn’t help but join in, both ignoring Nick’s glares from the back seat.

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes. “Then who are you taking?”

“Fine,” Joe mocked. “I’m not going.”

Rose laughed at the sound of their banter, more than amused as she held her hand over her mouth to hold in the noise and the sight of Joe grinning from his seat. She glanced towards the road, recognizing the wealthy neighborhood they were in, and she realized the two were better off than expected. She watched as Joe pulled into a driveway and looking around, she quickly measured the distance from this house to hers, realizing it was just a short walk and it would be easy to run, if the need arose.

Rose slipped out of the car after he’d parked in the garage and stood still, waiting for the other two, unsure what to do now. She held her bag over her shoulder, her hand gripping the strap tightly while she waited for Joe. She felt almost wary as she watched Nick stagger from the car, her gaze lingering on him despite the feeling of distaste for his presence. Nick’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at her, and she quickly looked away. 

With a roll of her eyes, she looked away and towards where Joe was standing for her, waiting expectantly, and looking thoroughly annoyed. Rose sighed and followed Joe closely, feigning confidence in an unfamiliar home. She felt suddenly intimidated by Nick and his unwavering cockiness, especially now that they were on his turf rather than her own. She could hear him behind her and it was where her focus was, not on the friendship she’d found in Joe.

“You hungry?” Joe asked as they stepped into the house, taking Rose’s focus away from Nick. His voice was quiet, and Rose wondered what he was thinking, but the soft tone helped her relax and get past her initial discomfort.

She shook her head, following as he made a quick detour to the kitchen. Rose stood in the doorway, glancing around the house that looked undeniably run by males, but very nice at the same time. Joe touched her arm, catching her attention, and Rose smiled, glancing at the bottle of water he was handing her.

Rose then wordlessly followed him up the stairs, taking in every inch of the home at the same time. Rose noted the four doors in the short hall, curious about it all before stepping into the room Joe had gone into. The furthest door on the left, she was slightly surprised to realize it was, in fact, his bedroom. She surveyed the space, looking around at the piles of boxes that still sat along the wall, before sitting at his desk chair.

“Nice room,” she commented, still standing by the door. Joe shrugged as he shut the door and walked to his bed, sitting on the corner. She took a few moments to glance around the rest of the room, realizing it wasn’t any different from what she could have expected. It was incredibly bare and lacked real feeling, but they had just moved, so she was sure Joe just didn’t have the time to organize it.

“Is your Dad going to care I’m in here?” she asked, turning her attention to him, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

“You don’t mind we’re in here, do you?” Joe asked suddenly. He pointed towards the door, his eyes facing it warily as he spoke, “We could always go to the dining room, but with Nick here...”

“No, I don’t care,” Rose smiled, “Just don’t tell my mom, I’m not sure what she’d say.”

“What?” he laughed.

“She’d probably say you were some hormone-infested boy trying to steal my cherry,” she mused, and he gasped with a smile on his face. “I’ll still tell her when I get home.”

“Call me first,” Joe laughed openly. “I need to know whether or not I should be ditching town.”

“Nah,” Rose said as she started pulling out her needed books. “Watching you squirm is half the fun, and my mom doesn’t hold back.”

“Like you?” Joe asked with his face half-serious, half-joking. Rose shrugged, contemplating for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she laughed to herself. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

Rose moved to the floor and began to pull out supplies, her textbook and then the books she’d borrowed from the library for the project. Joe slid down from the bed and sat beside her. She glanced up at him, her eyes staring pointedly, and he looked at her curiously before realization flashed across his face.

“Oh,” he exclaimed, “My books.” She nodded as she laughed, continuing to pull out the work she’d already completed when she’d started the project days prior. She heard the sound from the hallway and they both glanced towards the door as it opened, revealing a grinning Nick.

“Hey, Joe,” he smiled mischievously. He tossed something at him, and Rose’s eye widened with realization of what is was, “I’m sure Paul wanted to make sure you had some protection.”

“Shut up,” Joe’s eyes narrowed. “We’re trying to work.”

“I’m sure,” Nick mused, glancing to where Rose glared at him. “Just wrap is up. We don’t need any surprises.”

“Yeah,” Joe scoffed, his voice turning dark and it caused a shiver to slip down Rose’s spine. “You would know about that, wouldn’t you?” Rose felt the air shift, the mood stifling, and her eyes widened involuntarily as she took in the look on Nick’s face.

“Asshole,” Nick muttered, shutting the door behind him.

“Nick has kids?!” Rose asked suddenly, unsure what had just happened between the two brothers. Joe didn’t seem bothered though and just laughed, shaking his head.

“Oh, uh, no,” Joe stated, and he glanced in her direction. “He was kind of an accident, and it pisses him off.”

“Oh, I see,” she nodded in understanding, but didn’t find the same level of amusement in it that Joe did.

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug, and Rose had feeling a strange feeling of concern for Nick. She knew it was a ridiculous notion and she forced herself to focus on the project. There was a lot to be done. They looked back down at the books and he picked one up, “What are these?” he asked, skimming through the pages. As he glanced through the material, a sense of recognition flowed through his eyes as he seemed to take in the given topic for the assignment.

“Let’s get started,” Rose stated without emotion, anything to distract her from the sudden awkwardness that had settled between them. A gentle realization of how little they knew about each other and she wasn’t fully sure how she felt about what she’d learned thus far.

Joe scooted closer to her as she opened to the page with the description of the project, their eyes skimming the expected result. With their notebooks out and using the portion she’d already completed as a basis, they worked in silence. There were only a few mutters and mumbles to each other, something Rose appreciated when she was trying to focus. She always had the highest marks and she fully intended to keep it that way.

After several minutes, there was a distinct sound of some overdramatic, I hate my mom, hard-core music was heard from outside the room. It was obvious that the radio was turned loud enough for Nick to display his feelings towards Joe. It was loud enough for Rose to feel as though the radio was sitting beside her. Joe only scoffed in response and as they continued their work, Rose smiled to herself, surprised with herself that she was amused by Nick’s behavior.

Rose glanced to the side after Joe began to sulk, his grunts of disapproval growing louder with each passing moment. The antics went on for several minutes and Rose bit her lip to hold in her laughter at both of their immature behaviors. She eyed his paper to see his scribbled equations, not one correct and by the look in his eye, he knew it as well. Instead of asking for help, he continued to huff as though she would automatically reach over and do them without him having to seem needy. She finally sat back, crossing her arms over her chest, letting her completed portion of the project rest in her lap.

“Can you help?” Joe finally asked, sounding very much like a child. Rose chuckled, taking his notebook from his hands. She scooted until her back rested against his desk and he moved beside her.

“I suppose,” she said, though she already held the paper. Joe pouted as he glanced to where she was already writing the short notes of what he was doing wrong without doing the work for him.

“So, question,” Joe spoke up as she worked. Her eyes glanced towards his before continuing her notes. “Is this Steve character around or...?”

“Nope,” Rose said, her tone short and clipped. She shook her head, without looking up. “Left town a while back, but I’m sure you’ve heard.”

“How’d everyone hear about it?” Joe asked without acknowledging her statement. She turned to look at him, biting her lip as she contemplated. She sighed, releasing a slow breath before responding.

“Remember that small town speech I gave you?” she asked, and he nodded. “They know everything, and I mean _everything_.”

“So, even like why he left and everything?” he asked, and she nodded sadly.

“Yeah, that’s how I found out actually,” she explained, giving away more information that she ever gave anyone. “My mom was pretty upset, as she should’ve been, so she didn’t exactly talk about it.”

“Jesus,” he whispered, and Rose chuckled darkly.

“There were rumors months before he left,” Rose said quietly. “So, everyone knew practically everything before it even happened... though I still had the balls to be surprised.”

“Ugh, that must’ve sucked,” he said sympathetically, and Rose shrugged her shoulders. She stared down at her paper before looking back up Joe, her eyes slowly finding his.

“Most of the time it doesn’t bother me,” she explained, a thoughtful look filling her eyes.

“I get it,” he nodded, and she gave him a small smile before returning to the paper, effectively ending the conversation.

“Do you mind if we call it a night?” Rose asked Joe and he nodded, staring down at the notes she’d finished. “Work on this tonight, and we can finish at my house this weekend.”

“Uh, okay,” Joe stared at the paper ominously and she grinned. She pointed to a note at the top of the page and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Just call me if you really don’t get it,” Rose said assuredly and he nodded, “But no other reason.”

“Okay,” he agreed and they both smelled the odd scent float through the door. “Dad is cooking... it’ll end with frozen pizza.”

“I noticed that,” she shrugged, and he cocked his head in confusion. “Your garbage was overflowing with pizza boxes.” He laughed as she slid over to her book bag to put her things away as they talked.

Rose slowly packed up her books, and he pulled a couple to finish his part of the work. She held in a laugh as he cringed from her warning him of what would happen if he were to lose the library books. Joe exited the room first, their own silent joke as though Nick were a sniper, but it was an instant failure as Nick happened to be exiting his room at the same time. He grinned widely as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Rose huffed and rolled her eyes, not responding as he acknowledged her from across the hall.

“Awe, Rosalina,” Nick said teasingly. “Come on,” he mused. “We’ve got an entire year of English together. We could really make it fun.”

“Shut up, Nick,” Rose groaned at him, rolling her eyes at the thought of what had to endure.

Rose followed Joe down the stairs, relieved upon the realization that Nick was not following them. She noticed how Joe quickened his step around the kitchen and she repeated the action, glancing briefly to the man standing with his back to her. She felt a yank on her wrist, and she realized she’d slowed as they reached the door.

“I don’t want to deal with him seeing you,” Joe explained as they exited the house. He pulled his keys from his pocket and she shook her head.

“Nope,” she responded easily. “My house is just a couple blocks down.” He stared as though contemplating and she rolled her eyes, knowing she’d be fine walking home. It was a small town after all, nothing bad ever truly happened.

“You sure you don’t want a ride?” Joe asked but she shook her head. “Okay, but if you get attacked on your way home, I might feel bad.”

“Jesus Christ,” she groaned. “I can handle myself if a proposed attacker attempts to steal my textbook. Don’t worry I’m stronger than a manly man.”

“Oh, yeah,” Joe’s face flushed as he rolled his eyes. his mocking tone, she grinned at his awkward stance.

“Don’t worry, Joey,” Rose smirked. “I’ll find you a manly man too.”

“I don’t want a manly man,” he groaned loudly, amusing her, and she laughed.

“Did you prefer a weak one instead?” she asked, her tone teasing, and he poked her side, causing her to jump away from him. “What? I just need to know what kind of date to find you to the dance.”

“That would require you talking to people,” Joe mused as he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the hood of his car.

“Damn, you’re right,” Rose snapped her fingers as though she were disappointed. “I guess I’ll have to find you someone from somewhere else.”

“I don’t want anyone,” he snapped, tone darkening, and she shrugged. “I will find a female date to the dance, if I should so choose.”

“Like Maddy?” she grinned, and he rolled his eyes before giving her the one-fingered salute.

“Maybe you _should_ go to the dance with Nick,” he retorted, as though it was a real threat, and she rolled her eyes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she groaned, and he nodded. She turned back to him, grinning mischievously, “you know, I’m so happy to be going home.”

“To see your mom?” Joe asked in confusion and she shook her head.

“Nope,” Rose answered popping the ‘p’. She smirked, glancing towards the door and he stared at her with questioning eyes. “I’m just relieved that you have to be stuck with the ass for the rest of night, while I... don’t.”

“No,” Joe shook his head this time, a threatening smile playing at his lips. “You’re leaving now. I have no doubt that he’ll be gone in a few minutes... he certainly didn’t hang around here all afternoon for me.”

“What a jerk,” Rose rolled her eyes before backing down the driveway. “Alrighty, see you tomorrow.” Joe nodded, watching her as she turned. Rose waved her hand as she stepped from the driveway, cutting through the yard a few houses over to make a straight line to her house two streets to the left.

When she approached her home, Rose spotted her mom’s car and smiled at the thought of spending an evening together. Once inside, her grin widened at the sight of her mother moving around the kitchen, Rose’s stomach grumbling at the prospect of dinner. She walked swiftly up the stairs, taking two at a time to loudly announcing her arrival. She grinned as she stepped into the kitchen, her mom staring at her curiously and Rose’s eyes widened with understanding.

“Oh, shit, I forgot to call,” she groaned, and her mom laughed from her spot in the kitchen. “Sorry, I was with Joe studying.”

“Where’d you study?” her mother mused, and Rose shrugged.

“In his room,” Rose answered, figuring it pointless to skirt around the issue.

“Hopefully, you used a condom,” her mom spoke as she turned back to the chicken on the stove.

“No worries,” Rose laughed, enjoying the banter. “There’s no Jonas baby coming your way, or at least not this week. We’ll try again in a month or so. What’s it called? Ovulation?”

“Oh, Jonas,” her mother groaned, and Rose nodded, staring curiously. “That man is a complete… Oh, never mind, but please tell me his son isn’t the same.”

“Oh, this is Joe,” Rose explained. “Remember I told you about him the other day, anyway, it sounds as though his brother, Nick, takes after their dad.”

“Ah, so you were in Joe’s room?” her mother smirked, and Rose rolled her eyes. “That dance is coming right? I think I saw that in the newsletter, you should take him.”

“No mother,” Rose rolled her eyes. “We’re just study partners.”

“Okay,” she answered, though Rose was fully aware that she didn’t wholly believe her. Rose groaned and moved from the table, “I’m just saying, it’s just nice to see you spending time with someone.”

“Ugh,” Rose made a noise of exasperation and her mother held up her hands as though surrendering.

“Okay, okay,” she laughed. “I get it, don’t talk about the first person you’ve spent time with outside of school in years.”

“Mother,” Rose said in a warning tone, though the smile continued to play at her lips.

“Alright, I get it,” her mother grinned, dropping the subject.

“He’s coming over to study this weekend,” Rose informed her, and she nodded, not bothering to hide the smile on her face. Rose rolled her eyes, sensing her mother’s excitement that she was getting to meet him. Rose pointed at her as if scolding, “No more talk of this dance, I’m going for the ‘high school for four years and never attended one school function’ award.”

“Fine,” her mother sighed dramatically, and Rose immediately started laughing at her antics. “Now go wash up, dinner will be ready soon.” Rose laughed and left the room, following her mother’s orders. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. IV

Rose was surprised by a knock at the front door, not having expected anyone this early in the day. Most people left them alone and it was rare for a random visitor. Ignoring the sounds of her mother’s laughter from the adjoining room at her startled state, Rose hurried to answer it before the older woman could. She could feel her heart race at the pending implications of Joe in her mother’s presence for the first time, realizing it was actually that time.

Instead of dwelling on it, she only breathed a hurried breath, hoping this would be a simple completion of their project. Rose never got nervous, if anything, she was the one making others sweat. For one of the few times, she felt completely out of her realm and no way to stop it. Releasing a final breath, she opened the door, chuckling apprehensively as she stepped outside.

“Okay,” she spoke without a greeting, tugging his arm to move onto the porch, instead of simply coming inside. Joe stared at her curiously, as she shoved him further from the door, shutting it behind her. “Here’s the deal, we walk inside, do not make eye contact as we run upstairs to my room.”

“Your room, eh?” Joe grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes, annoyed at his obvious amusement with her disgruntled demeanor.

“Shut up,” Rose said shortly, “Unless you want to hear stories about me as a child,” she returned. He stared curiously before nodding, the smirk continuing to play at his lips.

“Let’s go,” he smiled, opening the door. She moved forward but stopped as his loud voice echoed through the hall, “Hello,” he called out loudly. Her eyes widened as she punched him in the arm, and he growled, “Damn, Rose, quit that shit.”

“This must be Joe,” her mother spoke up and Joe’s eyes widened as Rose scowled. “Rose, are we fighting already?”

“Not on school property,” Rose mumbled, repeating the agreement she had with her mother, though the corner of her lips twitched into a smile.

“I’m Joe,” he greeted, holding his hand out as Rose scoffed behind them. “Sorry about the cursing, Miss James, it won’t happen again.”

“Actually is Ms. Dempsey, but you can call me Maggie,” she shook his hand firmly. “And don’t worry about the cursing; I get enough of it from Rose.”

“Oh, no doubt,” he grinned, bumping Rose’s shoulder watching as she bit her lip to hide her smile, “Though she’s nothing compared to my brothers.”

“Ugh,” Rose groaned, and Joe shook his head at her antics.

“So,” he spoke up with a happy grin covering his face and Rose gave him a warning glare. “What’s this I hear about embarrassing stories?”

“Oh, you’re interested,” Maggie asked, grinning mischievously. “Well, I happened to have pulled all the photo albums from the garage this morning.”

“You suck,” Rose mumbled. “You said you were fixing the car.”

“Rosalina,” she stared pointedly. Rose scowled at the use of her full name, “When have I ever been known to fix a car? The mechanics know me on a first name basis.”

“Well, if you’d buy a car made in the last ten years, that wouldn’t be a problem,” Rose retorted, already knowing her mother’s stance on the issue.

“Hey, Betsey’s a good car,” she reasoned. “She brought you home from your last time in the hospital; I didn’t hear you complaining then.”

“She calls you Rosalina too?” Joe suddenly asked, staring at Rose, who only rolled her eyes and shoving him away from her. “I won’t tell anyone,” he grinned. “And quit giving me bruises.”

“Bruises?!” she gasped incredulously, pulling up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a perfectly round purplish bruise on her arm. “This, this is from your pinching.”

“You probably deserved it,” her mother laughed leading them into the living room. “You’ve got a few minutes before you have to finish this project, don’t ya’, Joe?”

“Of course,” he smiled, setting his bag beside him as he sat on the couch, yanking Rose’s arm to sit beside him. “You don’t mind, do you, _Rosalina_?”

“Dick,” she muttered, and he held a hand over his chest in faux offense. “What I’m eighteen, I can curse in front of my mother.”

“And I’m nineteen and I’m older,” Joe retorted, “therefore, I say it’s rude.”

“Your face is rude,” Rose returned, laughing at his antics. He shook his head, glancing towards where Maggie was watching them curiously. “Alright, let’s get this over with... we might as well start at the beginning.”

“Is there a lot?” he asked, before looking at the boxes to the side. His eyes widened as he glanced to Rose for confirmation, “Those are all you?”

“Yeah, my mom likes taking pictures,” she shook her head. He nodded, his smile falling slightly as he glanced to the first few books, taking in the pictures and words printed on the covers. “And I was kind of a miracle baby in a way... so she went all out.”

“In what way?” he asked, looking as she opened the first book, glancing down at the baby in the incubator.

“It’s nothing major,” she reasoned ignoring her mother’s scoff. “I was born with a hole in my heart, I had a couple surgeries, and it was fixed.”

“Nothing at all,” her mother laughed. “We spent the first three years of your life in and out of the hospital, but nothing at all.”

“Shut up, I’m fine now.” Rose grinned, glancing towards Joe who was watching her curiously, though he did not smile. “Anyway, that’s why I’m already eighteen, I started school late.”

“I see,” he said quietly as he glanced through the pictures. She watched him inquiringly and he sighed softly before looking up at her, his face hard, though his eyes were swimming with thoughts, “You know... you’re really lucky they caught it, Rose.”

“I know,” Rose nodded, still watching him but he didn’t catch her gaze as he looked through the pictures. His body was tense, his stance firm and unwavering and he didn’t make any move to break the silence. Rose looked towards at her mother, though neither knew how to break the tense hush. Rose sat with her hands in her lap, almost jumping when Joe turned to her again.

“We should finish the project,” Joe stated without emotion.

Rose nodded her head and looked at her mother a final time, and she narrowed her eyes in Rose’s direction. The silence grew as she glanced to her mother, trying to decipher her meaning, while her mother only shrugged her shoulders in response. They had a silent argument before Rose groaned, realizing what she wanted. Joe looked at her, surprised by the noise and Rose gave him a small smile.

“Joe,” she asked softly, and he looked up. “You want to hear about my first-grade dance recital?”

“Sure,” he nodded, looking up as her mother began to talk, and elbowing Rose as the scowl crossed her face. When she turned to look at him again, she felt relief at the smile that now covered his face as her mother continued with the story.

“They had these duck costumes with hats that were the beaks, and the entire thing was yellow, and it took me ages to convince Rose to wear hers,” her mother grinned. “In the middle of the recital, Rose decided she was sick of it. She stood up in the middle of the song and ripped her costume off, leaving her bare as the day she was born and announced that she refused to wear the color yellow. She stood with her hands on her hips in the center of the stage until I got to the front to take her home.”

“Oh my, God,” Joe shook his head, glancing to Rose’s bright red face. Suddenly Maggie set the book in front of Joe and his eyes widened as he stared at the pictures.

“She was never one to follow the crowd,” her mother explained with a laugh. “And that was only the beginning; I have a video tape of it somewhere.”

“No, mom, that’s enough,” she called out as her mother went to look. “We need to finish this project.”

“You mean, I have to finish my part,” Joe chuckled staring at her pointedly. “I have no doubt that you’ve finished yours already.”

“Maybe,” Rose laughed, her face still flushed. Her mother laughed as she put the books away, “Mom, we’re going upstairs.”

“Alright,” she nodded. “Door open and remember no babies until next month.”

“What?!” Joe gasped and Rose flushed as she glared in her mother’s direction, who only stared right back.

“Ask her when you get upstairs,” her mother used her thumb to point in her direction. She turned towards Rose’s scowl and smiled smugly, “Maybe you won’t be such a smartass next time.”

“You suck,” Rose groaned ignoring the sounds of her mother’s laughter as she led Joe towards her room. As soon as they entered, he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face.

“Babies?” he asked, and Rose shrugged.

“Shove it up your rear,” she groaned. “She asked what we were doing in your room the other day and I said no babies this month, maybe next month.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Nick,” Joe teased. Rose glared at him before pulling her bag from against the wall and sat on her bed, feeling unsettled by the way Joe said that about his brother.

“Sit down,” she stated emotionlessly, and Joe did, thought he was still chuckling at her antics. “Did you finish yours?”

“Sort of,” Joe said as he pulled his notebook out, handing it to her. “You’ll need to check my work, but I think I got it right.”

“Yep, I think so,” she nodded, her eyes scanning his work. “Sweet, this is gonna be a breeze.”

They worked together on the last section and though the tension from the living room had been broken, Rose continued to feel edgy beside Joe. He now seemed fine, as though oblivious to her personal dilemma, but a part of her couldn’t let it go. After several minutes, she finally looked up, releasing a slow deep breath.

Rose glanced towards him, surprised to see him already watching her, as though he’d been waiting for her to say what was on her mind. She gave him a small smile before glancing down at her hands, though she was unsure why she was so nervous. She puckered her lips into a short pout before she finally gained the courage and faced him.

“Hey, Joe,” Rose she spoke quietly. He turned his body to face hers, though his eyes didn’t quite meet hers. She sat for several seconds choosing her words before finally speaking, “You know you can talk to me, right?” She listened to his slow breathing and he released a long single breath before he finally spoke.

“Can I?” he asked, his eyes now reading her face, but she didn’t cower underneath the scrutiny.

“You can,” Rose finally answered assuredly. He nodded, glancing once again towards her face before returning his attention back to the project. Though no more spoken, Rose couldn’t help but feel the sense of relief from the words.

On her way to school on Tuesday, Rose held her jacket tightly as she stomped through the puddles, ignoring the way her socks were getting soaked through her shoes. She continued to hop from one to the other, enjoying the rain that was continuing to fall from the sky. As she neared the school, she chuckled to herself at the sight of the students running through the rain as if it were acid burning through their skin. On the other hand, more pointedly, Mabby, clinging as they ran into the building, their straightened hair curling as it wet.

She took off her jacket as she entered the building, groaning when she spotted Mabby approaching her, both still attempting to ease the water from their hair. Abby stood back as Maddy walked up to her slowly, one hand on her hip, the other in her wet, blonde hair. Her stern face was faltering as her focus fell between Rose and her hair, as though trying to decide which was more important. Rose crossed her arms over her chest, not bothering to hide the smile on her face at the girl’s antics.

“I heard Joe came to your house,” she stated accusingly, and Rose nodded, ready and waiting to see where she was going to go with the information. Maddy sighed dramatically and Rose chuckled as the scowl crossed her face.

“He was even in my room,” Rose grinned, watching Maddy’s eyes widen as she processed the new information. Rose shook her head, trying to make a serious face, “But, the sex wasn’t that great Maddy, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“I have Nick, anyway,” she retorted and without meaning to, a scowl formed on Rose’s lips with the information.

“Oh, so you have gonorrhea as well?” Rose asked gruffly, ready for a fight, “Good to know.”

She rolled her eyes as she stepped away from the faces littering the end of the hall, avoiding the eyes that were apparently listening, their shocked faces filled with questions. When Rose entered her first class, she felt surprised by the amount of people staring in her direction. She was used to the random rumors, but something else altogether. She kept her head down as she usually did, but felt unnerved by the unabashed attention, especially Mabby’s glares in her direction. It was a familiar sight having them give her the evil eye, but this was much worse than before. Rose wondered if she should’ve kept her mouth shut about Joe.

When Nick came into second hour English, he was surprisingly quiet, and Rose was relieved for the silence. His scowls and huffs were evident, but she didn’t dare glance in his direction. The fear he might actually speak up and find the need to either explain himself or say something vile towards her. Instead, she attempted to listen to Ms. Rankin over the constant noises leaving his lips. When the bell rang, she quickly exited the room, finding Joe waiting for her outside the door.

“So,” he stated shortly, and she glanced towards him curiously. “We’re having sex?”

“Um, what?” she attempted to remain nonchalant as she noticed the amused smirk on his face.

“And bad sex at that?” Joe continued, and her eyes widened before she looked down. He chuckled and she glanced back up at him. “I’ve received some offers for practice.”

“Oh my, God,” Rose groaned. “I was just trying to shut them up,” she explained, holding her hands out in surrender. “I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t think it would come back to you.”

“Keep my sex life out of it next time, will ya’?” he asked, and she nodded, not bothering to hide her smile from the awkward situation.

“Or lack thereof,” she grinned.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Joe retorted as they laughed. Rose smirked, shaking her head.

“Not as much as Maddy,” she chuckled. “I’ll bet she was the one offering up her sex skills, wasn’t she?”

“Maybe,” he groaned, rolling his eyes.

“I’m pretty sure the entire school knows the extent of her sex skills,” Rose whispered as they sat down at their desk.

“What?” Joe laughed.

“She was caught last year with her senior boyfriend,” Rose explained with a smile. “In the middle of school, in the closet... we discovered the hard way that she’s a screamer.”

“Oh, wow,” he shook his head. “Well, I suppose the bad sex rumor is better than the one Nick’s got going on.”

“Oh, shit,” Rose’s eyes widened, and Joe stared at her curiously.

“You told people he had gonorrhea?” he asked incredulously. She shrugged her shoulders as she stared at him sheepishly but couldn’t stop the guilt from seeping through.

“I was just saying that you were better because at least you didn’t have gonorrhea,” she explained with a defeated tone. “I guess, I forgot to whom I was speaking.”

“Shit,” Joe shook his head and Rose recoiled from the tone in his voice. “He better not discovering it was you that said it.”

“Why?” she asked.

“He has a temper,” Joe said through shrugged shoulders. “You’ve already had your class with him, right?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, flexing her fists as she mulled over what he was saying. “Does that mean I couldn’t take him in a fight?”

“Not if he’s pissed,” Joe said. “And you told your mom no fighting on school grounds.”

“It doesn’t count if he starts it,” she reasoned easily enough, though the guilt was seeping through her, knowing how awful the rumors could be. But still, it was just Nick. She focused on Joe once again and they chuckled before turning towards the board reading the equations and she forced herself not to think of the potential altercation with the baby Jonas.

Since she was now prepared, Rose found it easier to ignore the wandering eyes and hushed voices as the day progressed. In their last class, Joe was eyeing the whispering class warily though Rose was over them and the rumors. She only told one person, so it wasn’t her fault they’d repeated the lies. She’d not had the intention of them spreading, but they certainly weren’t any worse than the ones Rose had to endure the previous years. She was sure that Nick could handle them, or at least, pretend he could, until they died down in a few days.

After school, Rose returned her books to the library after saying goodbye to Joe. She ignored his offer for the ride home and went her own way. They halls were virtually empty as she neared her locker. She grabbed the books she needed, replacing them with the books she didn’t. She shut her locker, she cried out as a body shoved into hers, pressing her into the cool metal. Her temper flared as she turned, locking eyes with the inevitable.

“What the fuck?” his eyes narrowed as she stared at Nick, still slightly surprised. “Who the hell do you think you are telling people shit like that?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she feigned innocence, biting her lip to hold the guilt at the darkened look in his eyes. She knew he had every right to be upset, even as annoying as he was, he didn’t deserve to be lied upon. Nick’s eyes bore into hers, not removing his body from hers. His hands rested on either side of her head, but she didn’t lose her gaze.

“You told people I have a fucking STD,” he exclaimed, and she couldn’t help but release a chuckle, having no other reaction in the terse moment.

“It was a metaphor,” she whispered, trying to think off the top of her head and not at how he was pressing her against the lockers. “It’s not my fault that these idiots that you hang around with didn’t get it.”

“Metaphor for what?” he snapped, his tone almost curious as he scowled at her and Rose almost told the full truth, that she’d said it only to keep the rumors away from herself.

“Uh, word vomit,” she said quickly, though knew it didn’t make any sense.

Nick sneered down at her and she visibly gulped when he tightened his hold on the space between them. He was definitely stronger, his muscles flexing with each heavy breath from his lungs, and she could feel it everywhere. S

till, Rose could feel her temper flaring as she recognized the power, he was trying to hold over her, and she wasn’t going to have it. Her jaw tightened and without a thought, she pushed him back suddenly, wanting to get him off guard. Nick stumbled, and when his face dropped, her fist came into contact with the side of it. She stood firmly in front of him, watching him nearly tumble but he quickly regained his balance.

Rose’s fist remained tight, ignoring the throb on her knuckles as she stared at him, and knew immediately that she was going to pay for this. She thought he was going to walk away by how he stood, but she gasped as, in seconds, his body pressed hers against the wall. This time, he was pressed completely against her small frame and there was no wriggling away, not with how angry he seemed to be.

Her lips parted with surprise at the feel of his hands on her shoulders. Rose kept her eyes locked with his, she could feel the indentation of the locks marking her back, but she didn’t lower her gaze. Despite how he was pushing her against the lockers, the touch on her shoulders was almost gentle, and she knew in that moment that he wasn’t going to retaliate. He wasn’t going to hurt her.

“Look, you little bitch,” Nick seethed, voice showing anger in the way his hands didn’t, “I’m Nick-fucking-Jonas.” He stared down at her, his jaw tight though he kept loosening it and she assumed it was due to the swell that was already forming on his face. His hands pressed into her shoulders as he leaned forward, his breath hitting her face as he spoke. “You better start remembering that.”

“The name’s Rose,” she retorted, her voice weaker as she pressed her hands against his chest as she pushed him back. “And after today you’ll remember to call me that.”

“What the fuck?” he his gaze hardened, and she rolled her eyes. Her hands slid to his shoulders, watching his surprise as she closed the distance between them, whispering softly.

“You might want to wear a cup from now on,” she spoke, using his body as leverage as her knee swung, attempting to contact his center.

To her surprise, Rose had missed altogether, but it was enough to get him to pull away. She was mortified and glared at him before picking up her bag, moved gruffly as she tumbled through the hall. An ache formed in the center of her stomach, and she forced herself not to think of it, despite knowing this was truly her fault. Instead of allowing herself to take responsibility, Rose shook her head and walked away without looking back. Her only thought in that moment was of her convincing herself that he deserved it.


	5. V

Rose was sitting in her living room later that night, ice on her hand as she watched the television. Her mother sat in the adjoining room, working on the bills and Rose knew she was trying not to be mad. Especially since so far Rose wasn’t in trouble with the school, and she was somewhat defending herself. Rose knew she was in the clear once she explained who Nick's dad was, understanding her mother’s feelings towards the man trying to take her job.

At the sound of a knock at the door, Rose stood and moved silently towards it, aware her mother wasn’t going to get it. Though, not be grounded, but it didn’t mean her mother was going to grant her any favors.

“Hi, Joe,” she sighed at the sight of him. He stared for a moment, as though considering what to say. His jaw was tight as he leaned with one arm above his head against the doorframe.

“Are you okay?” Joe asked, eyeing her closely and Rose shrugged, dropping his away from his imploring gaze.

“What’re you doing here?” Rose asked him and he shrugged, she already knew the answer.

“Checking up on you,” he said nonchalantly, “Especially after seeing what Nick looks like.” She chuckled and stood back, allowing him inside the house. Joe shut the door as she turned towards the living room, throwing herself back into the couch and picking up her ice once again.

“Mom, Joe’s here,” Rose called lifelessly, staring at the program to which she hadn’t been paying attention. Her mother mumbled a response as Joe sat beside Rose, not bothering to keep any space between them. He took her hand, moving the ice to the side as he examined the swollen knuckles.

“This is it?!” Joe gasped and she shrugged, trying to hide the smile. Rose’s eyes finally met his and she could see the same feelings of pride shining back at her. “Dude,” he laughed. “You’ll die when you see the side of his face.”

“I hit him in the jaw,” Rose reasoned, cocking her head to the side to try and remember. Truly it hadn’t taken much to get her to take the swing at his face, her actions before her thoughts, much as usual. She tried to remember where exactly she’d hit him, but she’d been so angry, the entire scenario had faded into one final scene. “It honestly wasn’t even that big of a deal, like two minutes tops.”

“I don’t know,” Joe shook his head. “And he’s not saying a word about any of it. Too funny... but he wouldn’t say anything when I asked.”

“You hit that boy in the groin?!” her mother exclaimed from the doorway. Rose looked at her with wide eyes, realizing which part she’d left out.

“I wouldn’t say groin. I missed,” Rose reasoned, the corner of her lips twitching as she struggled not to smile.

“Please, tell me he deserved it,” her mother sighed.

“He did,” Joe spoke up and Rose glanced in his direction, watching him shrug, his smile still hadn’t faded as his eyes locked with hers. “He’s always been a dick, he’ll always be a dick, sorry for the language.”

“She doesn’t care,” Rose whispered. She heard a knock at the door and her brow furrowed in surprise, Rose glanced to her mother who shrugged in the same confusion. “I’ll get it.”

Rose sighed, pulling her hand from Joe. She walked towards the door, opening it slowly, and her eyes widened at the sight of the younger, mouthier Jonas. Nick stood, almost sheepishly, in front of her and she took a moment to take in the sight of his jaw, swollen and already purpling around the wide circle. She almost reached out to him and it shook her that she wanted to make sure _he_ was okay.

“Rose,” he said quietly, saying her name correctly for once. Rose stood firm, holding her hand behind her back to hide her obvious weakness from when she hit his face. He stared for several moments before releasing a deep breath but did not speak.

“What do you want?” she tried to snap, but the tone was soft, far too gentle for the likes of him. She felt frustrated in his presence, uncertain why she cared so much. She watched his eyes harden before they softened again, but never left her gaze.

“I came to apologize,” Nick said softly, and she bit her lip to hold in her surprise. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like I did. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Who sent you here?” she asked without emotion, her tone accusing. Deep down, she knew she’d started this one and she’d tried to finish it, and Rose knew she should apologize, but was too stubborn to do it.

“No one,” he answered. “Look, I just realized what I dick I was being, and I came to say I was sorry.”

“Whatever,” Rose rolled her eyes to hide her insecurities. She reached to wipe at her eyes, and his gaze shifted to her hand. She quickly put it behind her back, staring at him with a harsh gaze. “It’s time for you to leave,” Rose spoke evenly, struggling to control her burst of anger. He continued to stand still, and she sighed, “Just leave. _Please._ ”

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Nick sighed, his eyes dropping to the ground. “But I am sorry, Rose... I’m gonna be nicer from now on.” She watched as he retreated down the stairs, feeling so much remorse for him, for the situation at all. She shut the door and returned to the living room to see the two sets of eyes watching her closely.

“That was Nick,” she announced with a quiet voice and watched as Joe immediately tensed. She sat down beside Joe glancing towards him, “He came to apologize.”

“He’s up to something,” she heard Joe whisper at the same time as her mother huffed, “What?”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Rose shrugged, shifting towards Joe as he gently grabbed her hand, replacing the ice. She let out another breath, almost disbelieving her own thoughts, “I don’t know,” she repeated. Her gaze locked with Joe’s disbelieving one, ignoring his scoff as she spoke again, “He sounded sincere.”

“Okay,” Rose huffed, leaning her back against the locker before sliding down to the floor beside Joe. He turned to her with an amused expression on his face and she groaned. “He’s a fuck,” she said without restraint.

“Nick again?” Joe asked and she nodded, using her unharmed hand to poke at the yellowing remnants of the bruise from the week before. Though others still cringed at the sight of it, she forgot about it most of the time. Nick on the other hand, his was still purpling around the edges and quite noticeable, much to her amusement.

“He’s making my life miserable,” Rose sighed, her eyes glancing up to see the others staring at her from the end of the hall, undoubtedly, from where she’d tripped Chris, another egoistic jock type, outside her fourth hour chemistry class. Thinking of the class, she suddenly smiled as she glanced in Joe’s direction, “So, I talked to Carly today.”

“Y-you did?” he asked, and she laughed at the tinge that filled his cheeks. He suddenly cleared his throat and looked down at the floor, “So, uh, what she’d have to say?”

“Well, first of all,” Rose started speaking and smirked in his direction. “I was so very disappointed to tell her that we are not dating and also that you are not bad at sex, that you are actually very good at it.”

“Jesus,” he chuckled, still trying to remain nonchalant. “Well, thank you for letting her know... I have no doubt that you released this information without her asking first.”

“Perhaps,” she smirked as she shrugged her shoulders. He rolled his eyes and she chuckled as she continued, “Anyhow, she wants to know if you’ve got yourself a date to the dance.”

“Huh, well,” he stated emotionlessly. “I guess I’ve got to figure that out, don’t I?”

“You’ve got like two months,” Rose shook her head.

“Or less than three weeks,” he retorted. Rose cocked her head to the side, staring for a moment before nodding in realization.

“Oh, whatever,” Rose said, shrugging, “So are you going to take her? I didn’t even know the two of you talked, let alone datin’ buddies.”

“I talk to her in Physics,” he reasoned with a shrug. “She kind of gets me out of talking to Maddy, which is nice... she thinks you’re quote unquote awesome.”

“Really?” Rose stared at him incredulously and he nodded. “I like never, ever talk to the girl.”

“Yeah, maybe you should,” Joe nudged her with his elbow. “I could see you two getting along.”

“I guess I will,” she laughed, bumping him back with her elbow. “Now that you two are datin’ and all... so are you gonna ask her? Are ya’, are ya’?”

“I might,” Joe shrugged, looking down at his hands. He seemed lost in thought for a moment and she wasn’t sure what it meant.

“I didn’t even know you wanted to go to the dance,” Rose said after a minute. “Well, maybe that’s because I think everyone shouldn’t want to go.”

“Nice, but I didn’t before,” he responded, glancing over towards her. Their eyes locked and his gaze lingered before they both sighed. “You wouldn’t berate me for wanting to go?”

“No,” she gasped out incredulously, “Why would I?”

“Um, I don’t know,” he said glancing towards her. “Sounds stupid now... keep in mind… I’ve never done this stuff before.”

“Then you should,” Rose nodded. “Just because I don’t, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take part.”

“Why don’t you?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“I guess I’ve never really had a reason to,” she mused. “I mean, no one really talks to me, and when they do... anyway, I’m not about to contribute to their school activities.”

“Makes sense,” he responded, and she gave him a small smile before grabbing her book bag and shutting her locker.

“I’ve got to go to the library,” Rose told him, and Joe nodded, “A big project coming up... I’ve got to choose a topic.”

“See you later,” Joe sighed, and she stared at him questioningly. “I’m going to go find Carly. She usually sits by her locker during lunch.”

“Good luck, stud,” Rose grinned as he shook his head. Rose kept her head down as she walked, having to pass by Chris again but he made no move to retaliate, much to Rose’s surprise.

Rose entered the library quietly, signing her name on the sheet before moving towards the literary section along the back wall. She scoured the titles, momentarily forgetting her focus as she read the various titles she recognized. After a moment, she refocused her attention, remembering each book as she passed. She smiled to herself as she thought of her favorites. Reading was her escape from the world.

She’d made good use of it over the years. Now as a senior, she still went back to reread many of them, though Joe had proven to be enough of a distraction that she didn’t read as much as she used to. Since the start of the school year, it left her less time to hide in the familiar corner of the dusty room. She wondered if someone had found it yet and smiled at the thought of the knickknacks, they might steal from her.

Rose thoughts broke as she felt a hand on her arm causing Rose to quickly turn, prepared for a fight, but her eyes filled with surprise to see Nick standing beside her. He smirked slightly but made no comment, only continuing to slide by her in the isle as though he were actually interested in the books. She huffed in annoyance but refused to acknowledge his presence, knowing that was exactly what he wanted. Instead, she grabbed the first book she could reach and walked the long way around him to the chair in the corner.

“I noticed you like to read,” Nick started to whisper, wary of the quiet of the library, and she glanced up to give him a glare before returning to her book. “Can you recommend a good one?”

“Take this one,” she stood, slamming the book against his chest, no longer interested in being in the stifling room. Nick started laughing and she turned to see him smirking behind her.

“Pride and Prejudice, really?” Nick rolled his eyes. “I figured you’d be interested in some actual literature.” Rose’s eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped at his words, and he stood staring at her, waiting for the retaliation.

“You know nothing,” Rose spat, keeping her voice low in their current location. “This book happens to be one of my favorites and you have no right to pass judgment.”

“I’m not,” Nick chuckled. “I’ve read it a few times, but obviously do not find the appeal that you obviously do.” She rolled her eyes and took the book bag from him, replacing it on the shelf.

“Jane Austen is an amazing author,” she scowled. “You wouldn’t know good writing if it came up and bit you in the ass.”

“Depends,” Nick smirked. “Are you doing the biting?”

“I think I’ve already proven what I can do,” Rose seethed, reaching up and poking the bruise on the side of his face. Despite his grimace, his smile didn’t fall as he caught her hand pulling it away from his face, dropping it at her side.

“Yes, you can punch an unsuspecting victim,” he reasoned, and she snorted at his words. “What? If I had been expecting it, I could have pushed you away.”

“Right,” she mused, turning her head to the side. “Do you really want me to tell everyone how you really hurt yourself? Not some hockey accident.”

“I said football,” he groaned, and she chuckled. “Did you think I was really going to tell them that you attacked me?!”

“Attacked you,” she shook her head. “That’s a good one, Dick.” Nick started laughing a few moments later, shrugging at her amusement.

“I said I was sorry,” Nick said, his voice softer and Rose turned to look at him, studying his face. “Look Rosalina, I just lost my temper... what would you do if people were saying you had a random STD?”

“Ignore it,” Rose stated emotionlessly, knowing that wasn’t fully true. She stepped closer to him but instead of keeping his ground, he surprisingly stepped back from her stance, “Nick, you have no idea what I’ve put up with in this school, with these people, some of whom I once called friends... and you are…Just. Like. Them.”

“What if I’m not?” he asked after a moment and she scoffed at his words.

“You are,” she shook her head stepping away from him. “You think you can just come in here and pretend to know about these books to get on my good side?”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Nick huffed. “I do know about these books, I’ve read just as many as you, if not more... that goes to show your ability to judge as much as mine.”

“Just stop this already,” Rose raged, pointing her finger directly into his chest. “I don’t want you to be nice to me or whatever this is... I’m not falling for your stupid little game.”

“It’s not a game,” Nick said, catching himself at the sudden volume of his voice. He released a deep breath, his voice softer as he spoke again, “I’m not this big jerk you think I am.”

“Yes, you are,” she returned, their eyes locking as she spoke. “You were when you called me a bitch all those times, I’m sure more than just to my face... you were when you shoved Mabby in my face... you were when you,” she stared pointedly as he opened his mouth to object, “yes you, attacked me last week and I defended myself.”

“Fine, fine,” he rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry I called you a bitch, I’m sorry I made you jealous with whatever you just called them, and once again, I’m sorry for attacking you, if that’s what you want to call it.”

“That’s the dumbest apology I’ve ever heard,” Rose hid the urge to smile as she stepped away from him. Rose took in his words and she cocked her head to the side, “And I was never jealous.”

“Yes, you were,” he smirked. “But that’s okay. I won’t judge you for it, because I’m not that kind of a person, unlike you.”

“And you did attack me,” Rose retorted, ignoring his argument. “Coming up behind someone and shoving them into a locker is the definition of an attack.”

“Sure, sure,” Nick chuckled. She glanced towards the clock and sighed, grabbing her backpack and walking away from him. “Hey, Rosalina, where are you going?”

“Class,” she answered without turning around, “Where you should’ve been right now.”

“I was, study hall,” he explained, and she nodded as she signed her name out on the list. The bell rang a few seconds later and she groaned realizing he’d followed her out of the library.

“Just leave me alone,” Rose turned towards him. She stopped walking and turned to face him, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’m sick of it... quit talking to me like you’re my friend, because you’re not and you’re never going to be.”

“I said I was sorry,” he groaned, and she shook her head.

“I forgive you,” she said after a moment, “Anything to get you to leave me alone.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he said after she started walking. She lifted her eyes to his, sighing dramatically at the sad look on his face.

“I get that there’s the off chance that you might possibly be legitimately sorry,” Rose smirked, ignoring his scowl. Her face turned firm as she spoke again, not giving him a chance to respond, “But it doesn’t change a damn thing. So, leave me alone, go back to being a dick all the time... it was easier that way.”

Rose hated Nick in that moment, feeling both annoyed and guilty about how the events had transpired. Joe’s reaction didn’t help the situation, as he enjoyed that she’d started the rumor, and even more, that she’d ended up punching Nick. His face looked awful and she knew she must have gotten him just right to make it that way. She wasn’t what he was going to say or do now, and it unnerved her. So instead of focusing on him, she threw herself into schoolwork, going to the library more often than necessary. But it also meant she was shoving Joe to the wayside as well.

“How’s the hand?” Rose jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice; unaware she’d come home. Since Rose had returned from school she’d been sitting at the counter and as she glanced down unknowingly rubbing her hand.

“Its fine,” she gave her a small smile. “It doesn’t hurt anymore if that’s what you mean. How was work?”

“Good, that man was out sick today,” she chuckled, and Rose nodded, understanding her feeling. “Rose, babe, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” she sighed, “Just thinking... oh, Joe might come over later if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, it’s a Friday,” her mom nodded, and Rose stood, grabbing her bag. “Put that away and then come help me pick out dinner for tonight.”

“’Kay,” Rose nodded walking up the stairs.

“Is Joe coming for dinner?” her mother yelled, and Rose chuckled and stuck her head out of her doorway.

“If I call him, then yeah,” she heard the affirmative from her mother and she picked up the phone next to her bed, quickly dialing the number.

After getting off the phone with Joe, Rose took her time walking down the stairs, knowing her mother hadn’t started anything yet. She was probably lounging in front of the television trying to catch the end of some talk show; she’d held an unhealthy addiction for years. She chuckled when her assumptions were confirmed, throwing herself on the couch beside her mother, resting her head on her shoulder. The older woman leaned over placing a kiss on her forehead.

“You okay?” her mom asked, and Rose nodded, spacing out the talk on the television. After a few minutes, the show ended, but neither moved from their seat.

“Mom,” Rose spoke up and she turned her head to face her mother, whose face filled with concern. “Do you think I’m judgmental?”

“Who told you that?” her mother asked, and Rose narrowed her eyes, making the woman chuckle. “Okay, I get it... but I think everyone judges to a point, it really depends what you do with those judgments.”

“Okay,” she nodded, glancing back towards the television. Her mom gave her shoulders a squeeze and Rose leaned into the embrace, not fully understanding why she needed the comfort.

“Rosalina, we live in a town full of hypercritical people,” she sighed, resting her head on top of the younger girl’s head. “I know it’s my fault for never leaving, but don’t take their words to heart.”

“It’s not your fault, mom,” Rose reasoned, glancing up. “It’s his; we just got stuck with the consequences he left behind. Besides, you love this place... I’d never ask you to leave.”

“I know,” her mother laughed. “I think things are getting better for you though... I know you hate me saying this, but I’m relieved to see you spending time with Joe.”

“He’s a good friend so far,” Rose nodded, chuckling as the knock sounded at the door. She stood up glancing to her mother, “Ask and it will be given.”

“Hey,” she greeted with a smile, opening the door for him to step inside; He smiled and slipped his shoes off, setting them beside hers.

“What’s with the goofy look on your face?” he questioned, and she laughed.

“Are your ears ringing?” she asked, and he shook his head confused. “Well, we were just talking about you... I always wondered if that was true.”

“Oh, yeah,” he stuck his chest out as he held his head high. He pushed up his sleeves, flexing his muscles, “It was about these guns, wasn’t it?”

“Not exactly,” she shook her head, poking the bicep. “Just that you’re not as much of scum as I originally thought.” He rolled his eyes as they walked into the kitchen where her mother now stood at the counter, looking perplexed.

“How about we go out?” her mother spoke up, putting the pan back into the cupboard. “You want to go to the diner?”

“Yeah,” Rose answered, glancing towards Joe who nodded in approval. “You don’t mind being seen with my ratty old mother.”

“Watch it,” her mother warned, and Rose chuckled. “I am not old.” She stepped over to Rose wrapping her arms around her in a quick hug before they walked to the entryway.

“Come on Rose,” Joe grinned after putting on his shoes. “I’ll rock, paper, scissors for shotgun.”

“Whatever,” she smirked. “You and I both know that I’m the best shot, of course I’m going to be the front... besides my mom wants me up there.”

“Actually, it doesn’t matter to me,” her mother chuckled. “I’m just amazed that you’re both purposefully going into public with me.” Rose rolled her eyes as she turned, chuckling at the sight of Joe, face firm with his palm and fist already ready. She held her fist in the air, pounding it against nothing as the silent count began and she kept her fist, her favorite of the three, subsequently destroying his scissors.

“I win,” she cheered as she hurried out the door, Joe following quickly behind. He grabbed her sides from behind and she immediately jerked from the touch, “Don’t you dare.”

“Alright,” he held his hands up in surrender. “I don’t want to look like Nick does right now.” Rose laughed a little to hide the lingering guilt, and started walking towards the car, forcefully grabbing Joe’s forearm, dragging him along with her, forgetting all that had been on her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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